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SPRINGBOARD local assembly for creative climate action – Borders 

Creative Carbon Scotland is working with Connecting Threads and CABN – Creative Arts Business Network, and other organisations across Scotland to deliver a series of local assemblies for creative climate action. SPRINGBOARD brings together artists, cultural and sustainability organisations, climate workers, activists, local businesses, third-sector organisations and anyone interested in collaborating to form powerful local networks for creative climate action. Local assemblies are an opportunity to connect with other practitioners in your region to address climate change collectively.

Sign up here!

DETAILS 

Date: 19 October

Time: 12:00pm – 5:00pm BST

Event Category: SPRINGBOARD

Website: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/springboard-local-assembly-for-creative-climate-action-borders-tickets-722033380277?aff=oddtdtcreator

At the Borders assembly, Creative Carbon Scotland and Abundant Borders will lead practical workshops, ending the afternoon with a discussion about where we take the network next to deliver creative climate action. Everyone can sign up for two workshops. These local assemblies are for anyone working or volunteering in the climate or environmental sector, the arts, screen, creative industries, museums, heritage, and libraries. Other local assemblies have taken place or are planned. 

Programme: 

12.00: Join us for lunch. Soup and a roll from Cafe Recharge and good pre-workshop chat will be provided.

12.30: Introduction on influencing and collaboration.The session will start with a shared introduction to how the creative sector can influence society on climate change, and share key-concepts for good collaboration practice and climate justice. 

2.00: session 1

Option 1: Climate justice and arts & culture 

Climate justice and arts & culture – with focus on land ownership in the Borders. Climate justice is a way of understanding how climate change results from and exacerbates existing inequalities and injustices as well as how climate action can help create a fairer world. Creative Carbon Scotland will be sharing our own research into how climate justice thinking is relevant to the arts and culture sector in Scotland. The workshop will focus on questions around community ownership, and the role of culture in supporting powerful forces of change.

Option 2: Land(ings)

With Claire Pencak / Abundant Borders 

Community food gardens are sites for growing and nourishing community cohesion, multi-species collaboration and regenerative cultural practices. In working with plants, we are given access to their roots and to the community of soil. They take us down with them into the earth, opening up ways for us to become more earthly in our bodies, lives and communities.

Drawing on her experience as the Abundant Borders’ project worker for Duns Community Food Garden and her somatic movement practice, Claire Pençak will invite us to reflect together, through sensory and embodied activities, on how food growing offers regenerative processes and metaphors that can transform our relationship to land and to ourselves. What new provocations and languaging might emerge as we spend time together in the company of plants making comfrey fertilisers (dynamic accumulators) and tasting fresh herbal teas? How might ‘composting the ego’ nourish ecological relationships and support us to dwell more sensitively with the earth?

3.00: Break and mapping activity 

3.20: Session 2

Option1: Arts and environmental collaboration on climate change

Collaboration between the arts and environmental sectors can create diverse opportunities for more effective action on climate change. This session will explore the ways that these fields can benefit from collaboration, offer examples of what has been achieved in the past and explore the practical steps needed to make collaborative projects a success. The session will end with an opportunity to consider what a collaborative climate change project would look like for you.

Option 2: Land(ings)

With Claire Pençak / Abundant Borders 

Community food gardens are sites for growing and nourishing community cohesion, multi-species collaboration and regenerative cultural practices. In working with plants, we are given access to their roots and to the community of soil. They take us down with them into the earth, opening up ways for us to become more earthly in our bodies, lives and communities.

Options throughout the day

Swap Shop

CABN will be running a swap shop at this event. It is a free and local exchange where creatives can pass on things (e.g. materials, sheet music, paint, fabric) they no longer want, in exchange for something they need – a cashless bring-and-buy sale! For more details, check our website: https://www.cabn.info/2022/12/cabn-swap-shop-manifest-2022/

Project sharing table

If you have a project you want to share please bring materials for it to put on the project-sharing table. I.e. publication, flyers, art objects. 

Mapping of creative climate action in the Borders

We will bring a big map of the Borders and ask you to pin down any relevant creative climate projects you know!

Travel bursaries

CABN have an access fund to support travel expenses to the event if you’re a creative based in the Scottish Borders. Email Julia & Jessie – hello@cabn.info for more info.

Accessibility

Everyone is welcome at our events.

We know that it’s sometimes difficult for everyone to attend because of unintended barriers. We want to make any necessary adjustments to our events so that no one is excluded. St Boswells Village Hall is fully accessible, with disabled toilets and wheelchair access. Please inform us of accessibility requirements during the registration process or get in touch by email if you would like to provide more information or ask any questions. Please contact maja.rimer@creativecarbonscotland.com at least one week before the event if you would like to provide more information or ask any questions.

Please see our Safe Working Spaces Statement for more information.

Getting there

Bus times for the venue: Get the number 68 from Galashiels Transport Interchange at 11.30, arriving at St Boswells Bus Stand @ 12.17 or coming from Jedburgh Bus Station at 11.49 & arriving at St Boswells Bus Stand @ 12.17. 

You will be asked some questions as you sign up. We are collecting this data so we can understand the needs of those attending the event, share follow-up information and plan future SPRINGBOARD collaborations. We ask for travel information so we can assess the carbon impact of our events.

(Top image: Alt text: Black background with SPRINGBOARD logo. Text above reads ‘Creative Carbon Scotland in partnership with CABN and Connecting Threads while text below the logo reads ‘Climate needs arts and culture now’ ‘Join our local assemblies’.)

Green Tease: Intergenerational climate justice and culture 

No one will feel the impacts of the climate emergency more than children and future generations.  

Join us for this Green Tease on intergenerational climate justice and culture on the 11 October 4-6pm at Leith Community Croft. Together with experts in climate justice and creative climate education, we will discuss what intergenerational climate justice is, why it matters and how culture can be a way of giving a voice to future generations.   

Sign up here.

Children and future generations are at the forefront of bearing the burdens of the climate crisis. Still, they have little say over the decisions that will affect them more than anyone. Intergenerational justice argues that children have the right to be heard. That the climate crisis is a human rights issue and that climate action must reflect the needs and voices of everyone impacted. The complex interaction of the climate crisis with existing inequalities and injustices is an area where the arts and cultural sector can play a role in developing understanding and breaking down barriers to children participating in climate action. 

An excellent example of this comes from one of our speakers Lucy Power, Co-director at Rowanbank Environmental Arts & Education. In the run up to COP26 they facilitated the creation of a beautiful and moving soundscape of children’s voices that you can listen to here: – Positive Imaginings Soundscape. 

This event will partly take place outdoors so do bring warm, waterproof clothes. We provide tea and coffees to warm ourselves with! 

Speakers:  

Dr Elizabeth Cripps  

Dr Elizabeth Cripps is a Senior Lecturer in Political Theory at the University of Edinburgh and Associate Director of CRITIQUE: Centre for Ethics and Critical Thought. Liz researches and teaches climate justice and ethics. Her most recent books are What Climate Justice Means and Why We Should Care and Parenting on Earth: A Philosopher’s Guide to Doing Right By Your Kids – and Everyone Else. She also has a PhD in Philosophy from University College London and a BA in Philosophy, Politics and Economics from the University of Oxford. 

2050 Climate Group

Since 2014, 2050 Climate Group has been working to empower Scotland’s Young Leaders to lead action on tackling our climate crisis. They believe today’s young people are crucial to building a fairer, more sustainable future. Through their work, they equip future leaders with the skills and knowledge that they require to collectively lead Scotland in the transition to a just and sustainable society. 

Lucy Power 

Lucy Power is a Co-director of Rowanbank Environmental Arts and Education. Lucy has a background in environmental science and aerial performance art and steers the creative focus and output of the organisation. Together with Arran Sheppard she runs Positive Imaginings, a creative climate education project based on woodland performances, providing children an opportunity to imagine a positive future in the midst of the climate emergency. Positive Imaginings uses storytelling to empower and engage children in building hope and resilience for their future. Read our case study about the project here. Lucy has also been awarded a Churchill Fellowship to research best practice in creative climate communication and education from around the world.  

Green Tease is an ongoing informal events programme connecting cultural practices and environmental sustainability across Scotland. Since 2013 Green Tease has provided a platform for those interested in teasing out the links between the arts, climate change and environmental sustainability through the exchange of ideas, knowledge and practices. Green Tease events are equally open to people from creative and environmental backgrounds and free to attend.   

Accessibility 

We want to remove barriers to participation in these events and are happy to make adjustments to prevent people from being excluded. Please inform us of accessibility requirements during the registration process or get in touch by email if you would like to provide more information or ask any questions. Please contact maja.rimer@creativecarbonscotland.com at least one week before the event. Please see our Safe Working Spaces Statement for more information. 

If you have any accessibility needs or questions do get in touch at maja.rimer@creativecarbonscotland.com 

(Top image: Children sitting in a circle in the forest. Text: Intergenerational climate justice and culture)

Damma Launch | Metamorphosis – OBJX Studio

Metamorphosis, Damma’s debut event is curated to take you on a journey of transformation and rebirth. Experience rooms, explore pathways, and immerse your senses in a mosaic of inspirations. This journey is curated to elevate your imagination, connect strangers and hold a safe space for you to be. Whatever that means to you. 

This is a call for all Art aficionados, creators, collectors, visionaries, and change-makers to step into a realm of boundless creativity. Spend the evening of October 7th with us and sneak a peek into what it means to truly BE. 

We welcome you to our world, where we collectively joined forces to design the world we want to live in. It is the whisper of change in the wind, a story told not in words but in the language of form and essence. 

What you can expect:

  • Captivating Visual Art Journey 
  • Wearable Art showcases
  • Interactive Art Installations
  • Live Music Performances & Instrumental Showcases
  • Engaging Dance Performances
  • Art Auction 
  • Artisanal Culinary Delights
  • Thematic Mixology Demonstrations

Important Information:

  • Soiree Attire (Black Tie)
  • 21+ 
  • This event is curated in a way that might trigger you, please be prepared to heal 
  • If you wish to live through the complete transformative experience, please arrive early.
  • No outside food or beverages are permitted into the venue
  • Zero Tolerance Policy: We expect you to be respectful to everyone in the space and their form of expression etc.

More Info and Tickets

GUAPAMACÁTARO ART & ECOLOGY – Winter residencies

Overview

Our program has been around for 17 years, being one of the first residencies worldwide to focus on Art and Ecology. We grant space and production support for people who are doing innovative work worldwide, across the arts and sciences. 

Eligibility

We accept applications from artists of all disciplines, designers, architects, curators, writers, art historians, art critics, scientists, teachers and people involved in sustainability. Applications from teams of 2-5 people are encouraged. Up to 2 family members (partner and/or children) can be part of your team.

Format

We are unique in not requiring a proposal and completion of a pre-conceived project during residency. We value renewal, introspection, observation and time without an agenda – these are crucial for creatives and scientists in order to arrive at new discoveries. Our residency cohorts are carefully curated, varying from 3 to 8 participants at a given time. During their stay, participants use the hacienda grounds as a laboratory for their research and/or creative process. They are free to work whenever desired in the provided studios and anywhere in the property. Experimentation is encouraged as is discourse and collaboration, with each other and the local community.

You can pay a residency fee, determined by the current economics in your country of origin. This fee covers living quarters (private bedroom and bathroom), working space (4 shared studios), plus all meals, prepared by our staff according to your dietary preferences.

  • Apply by October 1st, 2023.
  • Payment: 50% deposit due Nov 5th.
  • Balance due a week before residency.

You can work 15 hours per week (3 hours a day, Monday through Friday) doing gardening, forest management, teaching youth, or any other relevant skill in exchange of the live/work space. The rest of the time you can develop a creative project or conduct research on a topic of your choice. Does not include meals; residents must self-organize to buy and cook their own food.

  • Apply by October 1st, 2023.

Julius Lindsay & Syrus Marcus Ware talk about Climate Justice

Tuesday, Sept 5

Webinar, 12:00 – 1:00 pm ET // Informal Q & A, 1 – 1:30 pm ET

With Julius Lindsay, Director, Sustainable Communities at the David Suzuki Foundation and co-founder of the Black Environmentalist Alliance, and Syrus Marcus Ware, Vanier Scholar, visual artist, activist, curator, and educator.

About the event

Understanding the connection between climate change, environmental racism, and social justice is crucial to finding equitable and sustained responses to the climate crisis. Join Julius and Syrus on Tuesday September 5th for a conversation on climate justice and its connection to the environmental movement, art practice, and BIPOC communities in c\a\n\a\d\a. Their discussion will touch on key climate justice topics such as disproportionate burdens, Afro and Indigenous futurisms, community engagement and examples from both Julius and Syrus’ practice.

Whether you’re new to the concept or seeking to deepen your knowledge, this session will anchor climate justice in both speakers’ work with the arts and community engagement. 

This event will be held in English.

About the speakers

Julius Lindsay is a leader in the environmental field with 15 years of experience in the areas of sustainability, climate change, and leading policy and strategy development and implementation.

He is the Director of Sustainable Communities at the David Suzuki Foundation. He leads the Foundation’s work to accelerate and raise the ambition of climate action in cities across the place now known as Canada. He is also a co-founder of the Black Environmentalist Alliance, an organization that seeks to champion Black people in the environmental profession, provide a safe space for peer-to-peer engagement to have real conversations and share experiences, and to advocate for environmental justice for Black Canadians now and in the future.

Prior to these two roles, Julius has been the catalyst for and led the development of climate change plans, programs, and policies at two of the biggest cities, Mississauga and Richmond Hill, in Ontario, Canada’s Largest Province. Julius is also a 2022 Next generation Foresight Practitioner Fellow and received their Inaugural Existential Risk award and a 2023 Future of Canada Project Future Fellow to support the Prismatic Project. The Prismatic Project seeks to centre Indigenous and Black perspectives through the lens of Indigenous futurist and Afrofuturist art, community engagement and futures games to shift the conversation about and composition of climate action in Canada.

Dr. Syrus Marcus Ware is an Assistant Professor at the School of the Arts at McMaster University. A Vanier scholar, visual artist, activist, curator and educator, Ware uses painting, installation, and performance to explore social justice frameworks and black activist culture. His work has been shown widely across Canada in solo and group shows, and his performance works have been part of local and international festivals. He is part of the Performance Disability Art Collective and a cofounder of Black Lives Matter-Canada. Syrus is curator of the That’s So Gay show and a co-curator of Blackness Yes!/Blockorama. In addition to penning a variety of journals and articles, Syrus is the co-editor of the best-selling Until We Are Free: Reflections on Black Lives Matter in Canada (URP, 2020).

MORE INFO AND TO RSVP

The Future Within Us

How do you envision the future? What aspects of that world are already here? The Future Within Us kicks off our 5th Climate Change Theatre Action festival with original short plays that grapple with a changing world. Join us in person in New York City or online for this funny, poetic, and poignant evening of theatre, music, and magic tricks!

Featuring original short plays by Nicolas Billon (Canada), Chantal Bilodeau (U.S.), Miranda Rose Hall (U.S.), Ethan King (Philippines), and Kevin Matthew Wong (Canada). Conceived by Chantal Bilodeau and Julia Levine. Directed by Britt Berke.

Sunday, September 17, 2023
5:00-6:30 pm
In-person and Online
Caveat, 21A Clinton Street, New York, NY


$20 early bird (until Sep 10)
$25 standard
$25 at the door
$10 livestream

GET YOUR TICKET NOW!


The Future Within Us is officially part of Climate Week NYC, an annual climate event that brings together business leaders, political change makers, local decision takers, and civil society representatives of all ages and backgrounds to drive the transition, speed up progress, and champion change that is already happening.

The Future Within Us is made possible with funds from Creative Engagement, a regrant program supported by The New York City Department of Cultural Affairs (DCLA) in partnership with the City Council, and administered by LMCC, as well as by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature .

We gratefully acknowledge the State of New York and The Puffin Foundation for their support of this project.

International Human Rights Art Festival Festival Submissions

Submissions Open!

No submission fee for the upcoming:

Fifth Annual International Human Rights Art Festival

December 4th – 10th, 2023

@ The Tank 312 W 36th St., New York, NY 10018

Submissions Window Open: AUGUST 1st – OCTOBER 1st, 2023

Results announced by October 15th, 2023

Looking for work around the following activist concerns, though are open to any social justice and human rights issue:

  • Climate Change
  • Celebration of Women’s Power
  • Celebration of Immigration
  • Celebration of Black Men
  • Celebration of Indian Dance
  • Any other activist/social justice/human rights issue
  • Ten Minute Play Festival

Please note:

The performances must be fully produced by you; IHRAF is a presenting platform.

Considering 10-30 min long pieces!

Work may not have been produced within the last year in NYC, or be scheduled in the next six months of December 10th, 2023

All accepted performers will receive:

  • Performance stipends
  • Two hours free rehearsal space
  • PR and Marketing support
  • 30-minute tech rehearsal
  • Festival TD and SM
  • Free photographic documentation of their performance.

…and bragging rights as participants in this vital and growing NYC creative-activist institution!

Please email our Festival Assistant Producer Costanza Bugiani at costanza@ihraf.org with the following:

  • A brief description of your piece, including approximate running time – we’re encouraging 10-30 mins works. We’d love to include as many artists as possible!
  • A cover letter, including details regarding the piece’s discipline, issue of concern treated and a brief summary of your artistic goals
  • Your bios or resumes and the names of any collaborators already on board
  • A sample of work (scripts, pics, videos, songs, any other links or files that could help us to know more about your project)
  • As email subject, please type IHRAFestival 2023, then add the interested category and Association/Company/your name (i.e. IHRAFestival 2023 : Celebration of Immigration, Joan Doe)

For more information and details about submitting to International Human Rights Art Festival 2023, please have a look at IHRAF Festival Submissions Open!

“IHRAF believes that creative engagement with all members of the society is the surest path toward social justice and positive change” 

(Top image: L’il Angelique at the IHRAF Festival, Photo by Steven Pisano)

Ecoscenography Masterclass: 8-9th August, Edinburgh

The masterclass introduces the notion of Ecoscenography merging ecological design thinking and stage design to create engaging work which reflects and impacts the current world, especially in relation to climate change and social justice concerns.

We will explore both theory and practical ways to take responsibilities for what and how we create theatre and collaborate with the wider ecosystem at all stages of personal practice and projects. 

Participants will be introduced to interdisciplinary practices with case studies, living examples of the connection between individual creativity and sustainability showing how ideas can be translated into actions. You are invited you to explore approaches to integrating holistic environmental principles within your own creative practice. 

The course will include time for discussions, Q&A and plenty of breaks.

Take action. Help to build a movement of ecologically-aware performance makers.

MORE INFO AND TICKETS

Who

All performing arts practitioners at all stages and scales of production to provide knowledge sharing between different experiences. I’m especially keen to reach out to producers, directors, stage managers and others who are part of the decision-making process.

Why

• Learn about Ecoscenography
• Comprehend the importance and advantages of integrating ecological considerations within your creative practices
• Examine worldwide case studies of sustainable work
• Exchange knowledge with diverse roles in the theatre industry
• Understand what is your role and how to approach sustainability with varied teams.
• Co-create sustainable new narratives for the new paradigm of our society and the planet

Cost

Cost is designed to keep knowledge affordable for all and depends of your financial means. Trusting that you’ll choose the appropriate amount for your needs and support fair exchange. Income based sliding scale £200/£170/£140 (high/medium/low) + booking fees.

For those with limited funds I’m offering 2 ‘pay it’ forward exchange bursaries consisting of 1 day of work with me in exchange for taking part in the masterclass. Please email a CV and a short paragraph of why you require the bursary and what skills you can offer in exchange (assisting, making, painting, construction, marketing, admin, etc…) by 24th July – places available confirmed upon acceptance.

Accessibility

The 2 days will be divided between indoors and outdoors work – weather dependent.

Lift is available. Suitable entrance for wheelchair is from the basement carpark.

Please share any personal and accessibility needs ahead of time if need be to help prepare.

MORE INFO AND TICKETS


Facilitated by Mona Kastell, an international award-winning ecological designer, educator and shamanic practitioner who places Nature, well-being, interconnectedness and authentic community engagement at the heart of her creative process. She’s one of Ecostage’s co-directors – a grassroots initiative and website that provides a holistic framework, tools and resources for embedding practice-based ecological thinking at all stages of our creative processes and scales of production. Her design for ‘Glimpsing Air Pockets’ is featured in Tanja Beer’s book on Ecoscenography and won 1st prize at World Stage Design 2022 in ‘Alternative Design’.

Our Anthology on Yale Climate Connections: The Future Is Not Fixed by Chantal Bilodeau

We’re thrilled to share that our CCTA 2021 anthology, The Future Is Not Fixed: Short Plays Envisioning a Green New Deal, was recently featured in the article “Books to help you stay inspired to fight climate change” on Yale Climate Connections. Thank you Michael Svoboda for mentioning us! You can get your copy of the book here or from your domestic Amazon store.


ABOUT THIS BOOK

The Future Is Not Fixed: Short Plays Envisioning a Global Green New Deal

By Chantal Bilodeau

For all of the political, economic, and technological obstacles that stand in the way of addressing climate change, perhaps the greatest challenge is in the realm of imagination. Can we envision a better world? What might an equitable, sustainable, decarbonized, and just society look like? What if the concept of a Green New Deal—the initiative to reduce greenhouse gas emissions while addressing interwoven social problems like economic inequality and racial injustice—could become reality? 

The Future Is Not Fixed presents a dazzling variety of answers to these questions in the form of fifty plays—from writers representing all inhabited continents—commissioned for Climate Change Theatre Action 2021, a global participatory theatre festival that brings communities together around climate issues. The pieces gathered here feature a wide range of styles and perspectives, from realist dramas to experimental works, encompassing the dangers that we face as well as ecstatic possibilities for a renewed social contract. With contributions suitable for both conventional and nonstandard theatrical settings, these plays can be performed in intimate readings, staged productions with extensive sets and props, and everything in between. Climate Change Theatre Action plays have been performed on street corners, at the foot of glaciers, in churches, schools, libraries, backyards, community centers, and bars. They have been enjoyed by audiences as diverse as water treatment workers in Montana; homeless youth in London; refugees in Denmark; children in New York City, Iran, and Nigeria; faith communities in Florida and Washington State; unsuspecting passersby in Brazil and New Zealand; and students in every corner of the world. Regardless of style, audience, or venue, each play offers a bracing, affecting vision of how we might come together to face the challenge of global climate change.

MORE INFO AND TO PURCHASE


ABOUT THIS AUTHOR

Chantal Bilodeau is a playwright and translator. In her capacity as artistic director of the Arts & Climate Initiative, she has been instrumental in helping theatrical and educational communities, as well as diverse audiences in the United States and abroad, to engage in climate action through programming that includes live performances, talks, publications, workshops, and national and international artist gatherings. In 2019, she was named one of “8 Trailblazers Who Are Changing the Climate Conversation” by Audubon Magazine.

People, Planet, and Performance: From the Global South to the World

A Series from Africa on Climate Emergencies, Sustainability Practice in the Arts, and Planetary Crises

This is a broad-based interdisciplinary, intercultural, and cross-sectoral exploration of climate justice within the context of theatre and performance with a focus on the Global South. The series comprises seven episodes and two articles.

Guests range from theatremakers to climate change artivists/activists to scholars from the Global South sharing their perspectives on different topics within the broad theme of the series.

Produced in partnership with The Centre for Sustainable Practice in the Arts (CSPA), Centre for Socially Engaged Theatre (C SET), and Theatre Emissary.

More Info